The present invention relates to personalized data manipulation and more particularly to aggregating content and accessing the content wirelessly.
With the advent of wireless devices, the current shift in communications is to allow wireless access to content on the Internet. Current methods of delivering web-based content to wireless devices, however, requires that each site have wireless enabled content. Accordingly, a significant engineering investment is required on a web-site by web-site basis to enable each web-site to become wireless enabled. This is the biggest bottleneck in the wireless enabling of the web.
Thus, what is needed is a way to make all content on the web, from any location in the world, wireless enabled by aggregating user selected content at one site and making that selected content wireless enabled. The one site thus behaves as a gateway between the wireless and wired web. Utilizing the present invention, the entire world wide web can be wireless enabled without requiring an engineering investment on a website by website basis.
Prior to this invention, a significant engineering investment was required on a web-site by web-site basis to enable each web-site to become wireless enabled. This was the biggest bottleneck in the wireless enabling of the web. By removing that bottleneck, the current invention allows any content from the web to become wireless enabled instantaneously. A user can therefore access and interact with any content from any wireless device in a fashion similar to the wired devices.
Accordingly, a system, method and article of manufacture are provided for selection and formatting of web content for remote viewing. A user is allowed to provide information that specifies general or specific content to be retrieved for online or offline viewing. For example, the user can specify, retrieval of a particular web page when the web page changes/is updated. As another example, the user can make a general request to download articles relating to a particular topic, such as stock exchange information, airline fares, etc. The user is allowed to submit the user-defined information from at least one of the wireless device and a hardwired device such as a personal computer. It should be noted that such content can be anything on or transmittable via the Internet. By way of example only, such content can be hyperlinks, images, text, tables, secure information such as account information, email, and audio and video data. The user is allowed to select; customize and/or edit the content from any device, wired or wireless.
The user-defined information is received and used to retrieve content from one or more web sites. If particular content is specified in the user-defined information, the pertinent web page is accessed and the particular content is downloaded. If content is generally requested, a search engine can be used to find the information.
The retrieved content is aggregated at a network server located remotely from the user. The network server acts as a gateway through which any content from the world wide web is collected and converted into a format amenable to the wireless device. Preferably, the aggregated content is amenable to presentation and content customization through a user interface. At the network server, the aggregated content is formatted for display on a wireless device. The wireless device can include any type of device capable of receiving information where at least one of the communication links is wireless, such as a wireless telephone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), handheld computer such as a handheld PC, a pager, a device connected to a wireless modem, etc. The formatting style can be specific to the wireless device used by the particular user. Preferably, the content is formatted for display on a plurality of wireless devices so that the user can use any of a plurality of wireless devices to access the information. The formatted content is transmitted to a wireless device for display on the wireless device. If the content has been formatted for a plurality of wireless devices, the wireless device sends a request for a particular type of formatting associated with that type of device. Preferably, transmission cost and reliability, as well as transmission time, are customizable and are user-customizable.
In one aspect of the present invention, a user selects which content is aggregated in real time. As an option, customization of the web-based habitat can be performed utilizing the wireless device or a computer of the user.
In another aspect of the present invention, the content is aggregated on a portal page unique to the user. The portal page displays the content that the user has specified, and can include the interface that allows the user to specify the information. This portal page is fully customizable by the user and can be accessed by any device, whether wireless or hardwired. As an option, the retrieved content can be updated after a predetermined amount of time has expired. The content would then be retrieved, formatted, and transmitted to the wireless device.
In an aspect of the present invention, the user is allowed to interact with the content. Thus, the user is not only able to receive information, but is also able to send information from the wireless device. For example, the user can be allowed to fill out forms and fields, make purchases (buying and selling), read and reply to emails, etc. using the wireless device. In yet another aspect of the present invention, an alert is sent to the wireless device upon occurrence of a prespecified condition. By way of example only, an alert can be sent at a predetermined time prior to departure of an airline flight. The alert can also be a reminder of an appointment. Further, an alert can be sent upon a stock price reaching a predetermined level or an auction price reaching a certain amount.
Prior to this invention, a significant engineering investment was required on a web-site by web-site basis to enable each web-site to become wireless enabled. This was the biggest bottleneck in the wireless enabling of the web. By removing that bottleneck, the current invention allows any content from the web to become wireless enabled instantaneously. A user can therefore access and interact with any content from any wireless device in a fashion similar to the wired devices.